In today’s post, I’m going to be reviewing the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Defining Cream and Sculpting Gel!
For each product, I’ll talk about the Pros, the Cons, and my overall impressions and takeaways.
Keep in mind, I can only speak from my experience with my 3a/3b hair. My hope is that this review will be a good guide for all the curly girls out there, but
your results may be very different from mine.
Side note: This page does contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something using the product links on this page, I may get a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps keep this site running. Thank you!
Also, I follow the simplified version of the Curly Girl Method most directly derived from the Curly Girl Handbook. This means the only ingredients I look to avoid are sulfates, silicones, and drying alcohols. If you have more ingredients that you look to avoid, it would be a good idea to check the ingredients for yourself before making a purchase.
Curl Defining Cream
Pros
Creates great curl definition!
Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Cream gives me gorgeous curls that are bouncy, defined and shiny!
Sucks in moisture
I don’t know how else to describe this. I apply this cream right after my shower.
I gently brush off
When I do, it’s as if the cream is pulling the excess moisture into my hair.
My hair goes from being saturated to simply wet. It doesn’t really get my shirt wet either. It’s as if I actually did something to help dry my hair, but I didn’t!
It used to
It says on the packaging that it has rice curl complex. I don’t know if that’s what does it, or if it’s another ingredient, but I am here for it!
Lightweight
One of the biggest struggles I’ve had with curl creams has been getting enough moisture without weighing my hair down. This product changed everything for me. It’s so lightweight that it gives my curls the moisture they need without stretching them out.
A little goes a long way
Another issue I had with other curl creams was the amount of product I needed for it to be effective.
I was blowing through containers of product fairly quickly and the cost was starting to add up. With this curl cream, I use less than a finger tip for each half of my hair. One container of this stuff lasts me months.
Keeps my curls looking great all day long
This product also has some pretty impressive staying power. I never feel like my curls are drying out at the end of the day. They stay bouncy and shiny all day long!
Cons
Can build up easily
The only downside to this product is that it has a polyquat and mineral oil in it, which means it builds up easier than other products.
I’ve noticed a little bit of white build up if I don’t spread it evenly or if I go too long without washing. However, I can always get my hair clean with a sulfate free shampoo.
Overall impression
I love Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk curl cream.
If you’ve read other posts on this blog, you probably already know that this is by far my favorite and most effective curl cream I’ve tried.
I have had to wash my hair more often since I started using it because of the build-up, but it’s as far as I’m concerned, it’s totally worth it.
This product keeps my curls hydrated, cut my drying time, and doesn’t weigh my hair down, which is everything I had been looking for in a product.
If you want to give it a try, you can check it out here on Amazon!
Sculpting gel
Pros
Lightweight
Like the cream, the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk gel is also really lightweight and doesn’t pull my curls down. Just like with creams, I’ve used gels that have weighed my hair down, so I really appreciate it when a product doesn’t make my hair any heavier.
Great scent
I didn’t mention this for the cream, but they both have a light refreshing scent that doesn’t overwhelm.
Hold
The hold of this gel was pretty good–in the sense that my curls were as defined at the end of the day as the where in the beginning. The product says it has a “Flexible Firm” hold, which I would judge to be accurate.
Cons
Frizz control
Here’s where the hold was not-so-good. I found the frizz control on this gel to be pretty terrible.
And as I’m sure you can imagine, that’s a bit of a deal breaker. Especially considering the label says this is supposed to be a frizz control gel.
Amount of product needed
I’ve only used this gel a few times, and I found I had to use a lot of product to get pretty mediocre results.
So not only is there minimal frizz control but with the amount of gel needed, it didn’t prove to be very cost effective.
Increase drying time
I took my hair an extra couple of hours to dry with this gel than it does when I use other gels.
Dries hair out
I found my hair felt drier and drier as the day went on. This lines up with the lack of frizz control, but it’s surprising considering how great the curl cream is when it’s paired with another gel.
Overall impression
I wanted to love this gel as much as the cream, but as you can probably guess, I didn’t.
This gel honestly did very little for my hair and I will probably never use it again.
In fairness, I’ve seen plenty of curly girls who love this gel–including a wavy friend of mine–so it’s likely it’s just not a good match for my hair.
If you’re at all curious, it might be worth giving it a shot, though you might want to consider
And you can also check it out here on Amazon.
For me, the curl cream has become my holy grail and I’ve found it pairs great with Biotera’s Defining Gel.
For more products, check out these posts: 25 Curly Girl Approved Drugstore Products, 25 Curly Girl Approved Conditioners, 25 Curly Girl Approved Gels, Curly Girl Beginner Products.
To check for yourself if a product is curly girl approved, you use isitcg.com – it’s my go-to place!
Looking for more guidance on your curly hair journey?
For beginners
If you’re new to curly hair care and looking for some help, you should check out the No-Stress Guide to Curly Hair Care!
After spending two years learning and caring for my curly hair, I wanted to create my own, in-depth guide to help fellow curlies create incredible curls in the easiest way possible.
It took me a while, but I eventually found an approach that helped me create a curly hair routine that fits into my life in the simplest way possible. And now I want to help you do the same!
For more intermediate/advanced guidance
If you’ve been on your curly hair journey for a while but still have some struggles, check out Curly Hair Problems!
After spending hours scouring the internet looking for solutions to my own curly hair problems, I found myself wishing for an easier, more comprehensive guide to the most common problems.
So that’s what I created!
Curly Hair Problems offers you 78 total solutions to the five most common curly hair care problems, including frizz, curl clumps, limp curls, product issues, and scalp issues.
Sound off: Have you tried either of these Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk products? What’s been your experience? Tell us about it in the comments! (And be sure to describe your hair too!)
Hi– haven’t tried the “Not your mother’s” line, but I’ve been using Ogx Curl Quenching Shampoo, Conditioner AND their leave-in! This stuff us great! I’ve hair very much like yours, but longer and a strawberry blonde color. You must try it! The leave-in has a creamy lotiony consistency, smells great also. (Coconut) my hair stays soft, fresh to the point I need to wash it only 2x per week!! Give this a try!! & Stay Curly, Girl!!! 😍
That sounds awesome! I’ll definitely have to check it out! Thanks so much for sharing! <3
Have you tried the OGX yet? I’m just wondering what you thought about it if you had. Thanks!
I haven’t, and I actually think when I looked it up, it wasn’t curly girl approved. :/
I looked up this product and it says it’s not cg approved. I was really excited about adding it to my routine but should I be concerned about the wax that is not cg?
I’m not sure if you’re referring to the Not Your Mother’s (I mentioned in the review that it has a mineral oil) or the OGX product here, but ultimately, when it comes to waxes (and really anything beyond sulfates, silicones, and drying alcohols) it’s your call. The reason some waxes and oils are considered to be not curly girl approved is because they can build up easily and may require a sulfate shampoo to wash out. I tend to avoid them, but if I hear really good things repeatedly about a certain product from other curly girls, I’ll give it a shot and see how my hair responds and how it washes out. That’s how I ended up using the Not Your Mother’s cream. I saw a lot of people raving about it and decided to try it. LIke I mentioned in the review, I did have to wash a little more, but I never had a problem getting my hair clean with a sulfate shampoo.
What brand of silk scraf, pillowcase, etc? do you recommend getting?
I’ve got a beginner products post with some scarf and pillowcase links in the last section! Though it’s worth mentioning, in my experience, the brand doesn’t matter that much. These links are just to give you an idea of what you’re looking for. 🙂
Hello,
I am a 56 year old Woman and tried your 3-in-1 Conditioner. Very pleased with the results. I have tried several different hair products for natural hair. I have to say for the price of your products the end results are Awesome! So that is why I had to goggle the creator to get an idea of who create the product.
🙂🙂
I’m so glad the product worked for you! I’m actually not the creator, I just tried some of these products out myself, but it’s always good to see what’s working for people!
Hi, so I’ve been follow the CGM and that curl cream is not approved because it contains c13-14 isoparaffin which is not an approved ingredient
Hey! Like I mentioned in both the disclaimer towards the top of the post and in a previous comment response, I follow the simplified version of the Curly Girl Method most directly derived from the Curly Girl Handbook. This means the only ingredients I look to avoid are sulfates, silicones, and drying alcohols. Beyond that, the impression I got from the Handbook is you only need to avoid additional ingredients if they build up on your hair and you can’t get it to come clean without using a sulfate. The ingredient you mention here is a mineral oil, which the internet tends to advise against because it can build up for some people, but I found no direct mention of this in the handbook. And personally, I’ve never had an issue getting my hair to come clean with a sulfate-free shampoo when I used this product. So to me, avoiding mineral oils is a personal choice, not necessarily a guideline or rule of the curly girl method.
I have to agree with you, about the gel. I have short curly hair and I had to use more of it, just to get some results, but still ended up with frizz.
They must have changed it because it’s now 2023 and on the one I have, the defining curl talk cream, that ingredient is not there. Now it has c13-14 isoalkane. I typed every ingredient in the “Is It CG” checker and it says approved.
Oh… this product looks so good but I can not find this in India. But I found this curl cream, that is available in other countries too. Could you please review it?